Defiantly he met the glances that were fixed upon him.  As his eyes roved over the faces turned upon him he became conscious for the first tune of ’Poleon’s and Rouletta’s presence, also that Laure had somehow appeared upon the scene.  The latter was watching him with a peculiar expression of hostility frozen upon her features; her dark eyes were glowing, she was sneering faintly.  Of all the bystanders, perhaps the two McCaskeys seemed the least inclined to take part in the affair.  Both brothers, in fact, appeared desirous of effacing themselves as effectively as possible.

But Courteau’s indignation grew, and in a burst of excitement he disclaimed the guilt implied in Pierce’s words.  “So!  You plead innocence!  You imply that I robbed myself, eh?  Well, how did I place the gold yonder?  I ask you?  Am I a magician?” He waved his arms wildly, then in a tone of malevolence he cried:  “This is not the first time you have been accused of theft.  I have heard that story about Sheep Camp.”

“Sheep Camp, yes!” Phillips’ eyes ignored the speaker; his gaze flew to Joe McCaskey’s face and to him he directed his next words:  “The whole thing is plain enough to me.  You tried something like this once before, Joe, and failed.  I suppose your back is well enough now for the rest of those forty lashes.  Well, you’ll get ’em—­”

The Count came promptly to the rescue of his friend.  “Ho!  Again you lay your guilt upon others.  Those miners at Sheep Camp let you off easy.  Well, a pretty woman can do much with a miners’ meeting, but here there will be no devoted lady to the rescue—­no skirt to hide behind, for—­”

Courteau got no further.  Ignoring Rock’s previous admonition, Pierce knocked the fellow down with a swift, clean blow.  He would have followed up his attack only for the lieutenant, who grappled with him.

“Here!  Do you want me to put you in irons?”

Courteau raised himself with difficulty; he groped for the bar and supported himself dizzily thereon, snarling from the pain.  With his free hand he felt his cheek where Pierce’s knuckles had found lodgment; then, as a fuller realization of the indignity his privileged person had suffered came home to him, he burst into a torrent of frenzied abuse.

“Shut up!” the officer growled, unsympathetically.  “I know as much about that trial at Sheep Camp as you do, and if Phillips hadn’t floored you I would.  That’s how you stand with me.  You, too!” he shot at the McCaskeys.  “Let me warn you if this is a frame-up you’ll all go on the woodpile for the winter.  D’you hear me?  Of course, if you want to press this charge I’ll make the arrest, but I’ll just take you three fellows along so you can do some swearing before the colonel, where it’ll go on the records.”

“Arrest?  But certainly!” screamed the Count.  “The fellow is a thief, a pig.  He struck me.  Me!  You saw him.  I—­”

“Sure, I saw him!” the officer grinned.  “I was afraid he’d miss you.  Stop yelling and come along.”  With a nod that included the McCaskeys as well as the titled speaker he linked arms with Pierce Phillips and led the way out into the night.